The invention relates to an air intake device for an internal combustion engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,182 (=DE 199 44 855) describes an air intake device for an internal combustion engine, in which the plastic component parts of the housing are joined to each other by friction welding. These are component parts of intake pipes having communicating weld surfaces, partly on their end faces and partly over their axial length, which lie adjacent one another in the assembled state and are joined to each other by friction welding. These weld surfaces consist of flange-like radial expansions in the wall of the plastic housing part to provide an enlarged surface for welding. Two of the plastic component parts to be joined are first aligned in relation to each other to bring the communicating weld surfaces into contact. A bonding force is then applied to the weld surfaces and a relative movement imparted to the housing parts until the parts are friction welded together. The same procedure is used for the third plastic component part, which is joined to the weldment assembly of the first two housing component parts, again by friction welding.
European patent publication no. EP 1,392,961 B1 describes the use of friction welding to join two plastic component parts of an air intake device, between which flow channels are formed for the combustion air. The plastic component parts are configured as half shells, which have webs extending axially on both sides, outside the flow channel located therebetween. These webs are welded together. Thus, a very long axial weld seam extending over the length of the flow channel on both sides of the channel is obtained.